Absolute JJK: Ryomen Sukuna, The Fallen Angel (1/2)
IK I said Gojo was gonna be first... BUT absolute Sukuna's story was in my head and I just HAD to get it out but don't worry Gojo will definitely be after. Now lets begin...
I've thought about this for the longest time, and truth be told, there is NOTHING to take from Sukuna because, realistically, he never had anything to begin with.
But what if we did the opposite?
Instead of taking something away from Sukuna, what if we gave him something? Something he never EVER had in his original life.
A family.
Not just a family in name, either, but people he genuinely cared about. A brother he grew up alongside (wait Brother???), a clan he believed he belonged to, and a life that, despite its problems, he actually enjoyed living. During the Heian era, which is remembered as the golden age of jujutsu sorcery, several powerful families dominated the political and military landscape. Of course, everyone knows the Gojo, Zenin, and Kamo clans, but in this version of history, there was actually a fourth major clan that existed alongside them. This being the Abe Clan, a forgotten 4th great clan of Jujutsu. The Abe were one of the oldest sorcerer families in Japan, and unlike the other great clans, they were known primarily for their military strength and their reputation as hunters. They weren't necessarily uninterested in politics or inherited techniques, but their greatest source of influence came from their ability to wage war. Whether it was hunting powerful curses, eliminating rival sorcerers, or destroying entire organizations that threatened their interests, the Abe were extremely effective at what they did. They believed that strength was something you had to demonstrate, not simply inherit.
Now that we’re done with the pretext we can say that 2 kids were born. Tsuyoshi and Takeshi Abe were born from an affair involving the patriarch of the clan or something, (who would either be Abe no Yoritoki or Abe no Yoshihara), depending on where exactly the story is placed historically. (they are twins but this is not an HR situation). I’d like to add how he was conceived and his clan is inspired by u/Plug01
Their mother wasn't their father’s legitimate wife, nor did she possess the political standing necessary to protect herself once the affair became known. So eventually, she was abandoned. And when I say abandoned, I don't mean she was simply sent away with enough resources to survive. She was deliberately deprived of food and assistance and left to die during a period already devastated by warfare and instability. The twins, however, were spared. Not necessarily because the clan felt any particular compassion toward their mother or the circumstances of their birth, but because both children displayed an unusual amount of cursed energy.
From a very young age, Tsuyoshi and Takeshi were considered extraordinary. Both possessed immense potential (already special grade sorcerers by 15-16 years old), both developed powerful innate techniques, and both demonstrated an understanding of jujutsu that was unusual even among the Abe Clan's most talented children. They were also practically inseparable. Despite being twins, however, they couldn't have been more different in appearance, personality, and the way others treated them.
Tsuyoshi Abe, The Unwanted Prodigy:
Tsuyoshi was born with four eyes strangely (if Gege doesn’t have a reason, then I don’t need one either… it's just a genetic mutation). Yes, four eyes, even before becoming the monster everyone would eventually recognize as Sukuna. Naturally, this made his appearance extremely unusual. Even in a society where sorcerers could inherit bizarre physical traits, Tsuyoshi's face was considered unsettling. He wasn't particularly attractive by conventional standards, and plenty of people viewed him as some sort of bad omen (to be fair, he was looking really kooky fr). Some even believed he was cursed from birth. This meant that while his brother received admiration for his appearance, Tsuyoshi was often subjected to ridicule or outright hostility. But there was one thing nobody could deny about him, his talent was ridiculous.
Tsuyoshi possessed Shrine, the same innate cursed technique associated with Sukuna in canon. Even as a child, his ability to manipulate cursed energy was abnormal. He learned techniques faster than almost anyone around him, understood the mechanics of jujutsu with very little explanation, and could adapt to unfamiliar combat situations almost instinctively. What made him especially dangerous wasn't just the amount of cursed energy he possessed. It was how naturally he understood it even more so then practically ANYONE in his era. He could observe an opponent's movements, recognize weaknesses in their technique, and adjust his fighting style almost immediately. Things that took experienced sorcerers years to understand came surprisingly easily to him. And yet, despite all this, Tsuyoshi wasn't particularly arrogant. I MEAN HE KNEW he was strong. There was no point pretending otherwise. But he didn't spend every waking moment thinking about how much stronger he was than everyone else and honestly just enjoyed life. He liked fighting, obviously, but not to the obsessive extent that canon Sukuna does. Fighting was exciting because it gave him something to improve at, and he genuinely enjoyed encountering opponents who could challenge him.
Takeshi Abe, The Beloved Prodigy
Where Tsuyoshi was considered strange-looking, Takeshi was blessed with an almost unnatural beauty (they both needed some kind of strange thing about them so imagine that Takeshi has amazing bone structure IG). He was the kind of person who attracted attention without even trying, and his appearance made him extremely popular among members of the clan. He was also charismatic, intelligent, disciplined, and considerably more interested in how others perceived him. Unlike Tsuyoshi, who was perfectly content with simply being strong and wore practically well… rags, Takeshi wanted to accomplish something with his abilities.
He wanted recognition and he definitely wanted influence. And eventually, he wanted to become the head of the Abe Clan and help them rule over the world of Jujutsu or at least be the most known. His innate technique was called Sanctum, and it was an incredibly versatile ability that involved manipulating the structural relationships between matter. Essentially, Takeshi could mend, lock, bind, and fuse things together. Depending on how he applied the technique, he could repair damaged structures, immobilize opponents, reinforce objects, heal wounds so he never really bothered with RCT, etc.
In many ways, Sanctum was the perfect counterpart/opposite to Shrine. Tsuyoshi could separate and destroy things, while Takeshi could connect and restore them. And when they fought together, their abilities complemented each other almost perfectly (imagine Yuji and Todo, YEAH thats how they were boxing). But it's important to know for future events that Takeshi wasn't always some secretly evil person who hated his brother. He genuinely loved Tsuyoshi, I mean hell when they were children, Takeshi was usually the first person to defend him whenever someone made fun of his appearance. If another child called Tsuyoshi a monster, Takeshi would confront them. If someone insulted their mother or brought up their illegitimate birth, Takeshi would stand up for both of them and that includes of course beating the bully’s ass.
He was protective, sometimes unnecessarily so, considering Tsuyoshi was more than capable of defending himself but Tsuyoshi appreciated it. In fact, Takeshi was probably the main reason Tsuyoshi never developed a particularly strong resentment toward the clan during his childhood. Whenever something bothered him, his brother was there to make him feel better. The problem was that Takeshi had another side to him….he was jealous. Not of Tsuyoshi's appearance, obviously, and not necessarily because Tsuyoshi received more affection, Takeshi was actually favored in several ways (not even several, it was all ways honestly). What bothered him was his brother's talent. No matter how much Takeshi trained, Tsuyoshi always seemed to be slightly ahead. And as they grew older, that difference became harder and harder for him to ignore.
Together, they were capable of overwhelming entire groups of experienced fighters. Tsuyoshi's Shrine allowed him to cut through defensive formations and destroy opponents with terrifying efficiency, while Takeshi's Sanctum gave them control over the battlefield by reinforcing structures, immobilizing enemies, and creating openings.
They understood each other's movements almost instinctively (YUJI AND TODO FR) and because of them, the Abe Clan began expanding its influence at an alarming rate. Entire organizations were destroyed, rival families were forced into submission, and the clan's military reputation became almost unmatched. Of course, this also meant Tsuyoshi was becoming increasingly famous, or infamous, depending on who you asked IG…. People outside the Abe Clan already disliked him because of his appearance, but now they had another reason to fear him (Because he was obviously so fucking strong). Stories began spreading about the four-eyed warrior who could slaughter entire groups of sorcerers almost single-handedly and while Takeshi was still recognized as an extraordinary fighter, people gradually stopped treating the brothers as equals.
By the time the twins reached 25, there was no longer any debate about who was stronger. Tsuyoshi had completely surpassed Takeshi. In fact, he had surpassed practically everyone. His mastery of Shrine, his understanding of cursed energy, his physical abilities, and his combat intelligence had reached a level that very few sorcerers could even comprehend.
Ryomen Sukuna.
Unfortunately, the Abe Clan had reached a point where his existence was becoming a serious political problem. Their father was getting older, which meant a successor would eventually have to be chosen. And while Tsuyoshi couldn't have cared less about becoming clan head, Takeshi wanted the position more than almost anything. He had spent years preparing himself for leadership. He understood the clan's politics, knew how to command loyalty, and genuinely believed he could lead the Abe into an even greater era of prosperity. Tsuyoshi, meanwhile, would have gladly supported him if Takeshi wanted to become clan head, then good for him.
Now, don't think Takeshi suddenly stopped loving his brother at this point. He still cared about Tsuyoshi. He still remembered their childhood, their training sessions, and the countless times they had fought alongside each other. But he had convinced himself that those feelings were less important than the future he wanted. In his mind, Tsuyoshi was standing in the way of his greatness. And the worst part was that Tsuyoshi wasn't even trying to. Eventually, Takeshi decided that there was only one way to resolve the situation. Tsuyoshi had to die. (OHHH LA LA LA**)**
Killing Tsuyoshi wasn't exactly an easy task (I mean killing Sukuna isn’t easy for anyone after all). By this point, he was so powerful that no individual sorcerer could confidently challenge him and even Takeshi knew that fighting his brother alone would almost certainly end in defeat. So the Abe leadership began organizing something much larger. They approached several of the most powerful factions in the jujutsu world, claiming that Tsuyoshi had become an uncontrollable threat. The Gojo Clan, Zenin Clan, and Kamo Clan were eventually drawn into the conspiracy. The Five Void Generals, all of whom were special-grade sorcerers, were also involved. And to make matters worse, Takako Uro's assassination group was recruited as well. Essentially, several of the strongest military and sorcerer organizations of the Heian era were preparing to eliminate one man.
The Celestial Palace would eventually become the location of one of the most infamous battles in jujutsu history. When Tsuyoshi arrived, he discovered that the entire meeting had been a trap.
Thousands of warriors, sorcerers, and assassins had been gathered to kill him. The Five Void Generals were present, along with Takako Uro's assassination unit and members of the Gojo, Zenin, Kamo, and Abe clans. At first, Tsuyoshi was confused. I mean he obviously recognized several members of his own clan among the attackers, but rather than immediately assuming they had betrayed him, he actually thought there might have been some sort of misunderstanding. Maybe someone had accused him of treason. Maybe the elders believed he had done something wrong. Maybe they thought he had betrayed the clan.
Whatever the reason, he assumed there had to be an explanation. Unfortunately, nobody was interested in giving him one, and the attack began almost immediately.
And what followed was absolute FUCKING carnage. Despite being surrounded by thousands of opponents, Tsuyoshi fought back with everything he had. I mean Shrine tore through enemy formations, cutting down warriors and destroying defenses with mere ease (he did use Fuga as well which destroyed a whole squadron). The Five Void Generals attempted to coordinate their abilities against him, while Uro's assassination group looked for opportunities to strike whenever his attention was divided. The great clans deployed some of their strongest fighters, hoping that their combined numbers and techniques would eventually overwhelm him. But Tsuyoshi just kept fighting (LIKE A BOSS). And just like that, hundreds of enemies fell then thousands.
And why were members of his own family participating? Of course, even someone as powerful as Tsuyoshi had limits. The sheer number of opponents gradually began wearing him down. His body accumulated injuries, his cursed energy reserves were being pushed to their limits, and the constant pressure made it increasingly difficult to defend himself. Still, he refused to fall, not now, not ever. And somewhere in the back of his mind, he believed that Takeshi would eventually arrive.
After all, his brother had always been there for him. Surely he would come this time too and eventually, Takeshi did arrive but not for the reason Tsuyoshi expected.** **When Tsuyoshi first saw Takeshi approaching, he was relieved and for a moment, he genuinely believed his brother had come to help him. But then he noticed something.
Takeshi wasn't standing apart from the people attacking him. He was standing with them and suddenly, everything started making sense.
Takeshi had known.
This was the same brother who had protected him when they were children. The same person who defended him whenever someone called him a monster. The same person who reassured him that the opinions of others didn't matter. Tsuyoshi had always known Takeshi was jealous of him, he wasn't completely blind to that. But he never imagined his brother would actually try to kill him over it, he didn't think he’d kill him over anything…
For the first time in his life, Tsuyoshi froze. Not because Takeshi was stronger and definitely not because he had encountered some technique he couldn't counter. But because he couldn't bring himself to fight his own brother and for the first time, he started crying (not even that, he was sobbing).
The strongest sorcerer of his generation, a man who had just fought against thousands of opponents, was completely overwhelmed by the realization that the person he loved most had betrayed him. Takeshi hesitated when he saw this because despite everything, he still loved Tsuyoshi. He wasn't completely incapable of feeling guilt, and seeing his brother like that genuinely hurt him but he had already convinced himself that killing Tsuyoshi was necessary and In his mind, his brother had been given an absurd amount of strength and had done practically nothing with it beyond serving the clan.
So he went through with it.
Using Sanctum alongside the remaining forces, Takeshi helped deliver the final attack. Tsuyoshi, already exhausted and emotionally devastated, failed to properly defend himself. His body was crushed and reduced to dust and they left him there…. just like that, Tsuyoshi Abe was dead.
Unlike canon Sukuna, who would eventually preserve his existence through cursed objects, Tsuyoshi genuinely died that day.
But because he trusted his brother.
C’MON YOU AINT THINK IT WAS OVER DID YOU
Tsuyoshi had been killed, his body was gone, and the Abe Clan had finally gotten rid of the person they feared most. But there was one problem, Tsuyoshi wasn't willing to accept his death because why the hell should he?
It was Takeshi.
They loved each other….. Right?
IT REWARDED POWER.
POWER.
And Tsuyoshi was furious because he had possessed more power than almost anyone alive, yet he had allowed himself to be killed for the sake of people who never truly valued him. He had spent his entire life trying to belong to a world that had never fully accepted him and now that world had taken everything away from him.
If the world was going to crush people who simply wanted to live, then perhaps the world deserved to be crushed too.
Every damn thing….
He wanted the entire world to experience the same helplessness and despair he had felt. He wanted to destroy the society that had created people like Takeshi. And if strength was the only thing anyone respected, then he would become so overwhelmingly powerful that nobody could ever threaten him again. That was the moment Tsuyoshi's love for the world finally turned into hatred. And that hatred refused to die with him.
Tsuyoshi's death had produced an extraordinary amount of resentment and negative emotion. His body had been destroyed, but the circumstances of his death had failed to prevent his soul from returning as a curse (as they left his body and failed to fully kill him, he's such a beast I know) and considering the sheer amount of cursed energy he possessed in life, his transformation was unlike anything the jujutsu world had ever experienced.
He returned as a vengeful cursed spirit but not an ordinary one (obviously….) His new existence was something far beyond the special grade curses people were familiar with.
His skin had turned a darkish tanned, resembling the appearance of an Asura, and his hair had grown considerably longer than it had been during his human life. He still possessed the same four eyes he had been born with, but his face had become more deformed (looking the exact same as his canon face). His body now had six arms instead of two, and dark reddish tattoos covered his skin as if they were etched in him along with 2 mouths on him. He looked less like a human sorcerer and more like a supernatural embodiment of violence.
He improved overall after all, I mean even as a human, Tsuyoshi had possessed an unnatural amount of cursed energy. As a vengeful cursed spirit, however, his reserves had become almost limitless. The sheer density of his cursed energy was enough to overwhelm weaker sorcerers, and his physical abilities had increased dramatically. He retained the Shrine technique, but his new body allowed him to use it in ways that would have been considerably more difficult during his human life plus he underwent an insane awakening (his CT has awakened along with his mental change of beliefs).
Of course, because he was now a cursed spirit, positive energy produced through Reverse Cursed Technique was still dangerous to him. And while he wasn't immune to it. His cursed energy reserves were so enormous that he could resist and endure positive-energy attacks that would ordinarily destroy other curses, somewhat similar to what was demonstrated by Rika. (Essentially, he was still vulnerable to RCT, but actually exorcising him with it would be extremely difficult.)
And despite all these changes, he still remembered everything. Unlike regular vengeful spirits, Sukuna was a unique case (OF COURSE HE WAS), he retained his mind as well… not just the vengeful emotions (everything he does as a curse is HIS WILL and not the will of his emotions… so he's not mindless like Rika. What you see IS SUKUNA)
After returning, Sukuna made one decision that would define the rest of his existence and promised he would never use the name Tsuyoshi Abe again. That name belonged to the man who had trusted his family, the man who believed loyalty meant something and the man who genuinely loved his brother.
And as far as Sukuna was concerned, that man had died at the Celestial Palace. He would instead embrace the name people had once given him because of his appearance and terrifying strength.
Ryomen Sukuna.
He was going to be its destruction.
Naturally, the first thing Sukuna did after returning was go after the Abe Clan. And this wasn't some carefully planned military campaign where he intended to overthrow the leadership and establish himself as the new clan head.
The Abe had believed that killing Tsuyoshi would secure their future, but in reality, they had just created something infinitely worse. When Sukuna appeared, the clan initially struggled to understand what they were seeing. The man they had supposedly killed had returned as a nine-foot-tall, six-armed monster with dark skin, four eyes, and an almost incomprehensible amount of cursed energy (he’d seem like an other worldy being in all honesty).
Sukuna attacked without hesitation. The clan's warriors attempted to defend themselves, and its strongest sorcerers deployed everything they had but lets be honest…. Nothing could stop the destruction in his wake. The elders who had once ordered Tsuyoshi around were now completely helpless against him and Sukuna definitely showed absolutely no mercy.
It didn't matter whether someone had personally participated in the assassination or had simply belonged to the clan. As far as he was concerned, the entire family was responsible for what had happened to him. This was also one of the clearest signs that Tsuyoshi was truly gone, the old Tsuyoshi might have wanted answers and he might have confronted the people responsible and demanded to know why they betrayed him.
Sukuna didn't care about explanations anymore. He wanted them to just suffer then die. And eventually, he found Takeshi and Sukuna smiled but this time… it wasn’t out of love in the slightest
Takeshi immediately recognized his brother.
Even with the monstrous body, he knew It was indeed Tsuyoshi, this was probably a few years after Tsuyoshi’s death. And this was him or at least, what remained of him. For the first time, Takeshi was forced to confront the full consequences of his actions.
Instead, he had created a monster who was about to destroy everything he had worked for in one second and he couldn’t stop that storm. Takeshi fought back using Sanctum, attempting to restrain Sukuna and exploit whatever weaknesses he could find but it was hopeless. Even when they were human, Tsuyoshi had been stronger and now the difference between them was almost impossible to comprehend.
Sukuna utterly overwhelmed him and rather than simply killing him, he tortured him, slicing off each layer of his skin, broke him apart and he did hear Takeshi utter the words with his busted lips, “I- I’m so-”, but no he didn’t finish. This was because Sukuna using his second mouth devoured him whole and smiled all the way through, laughing at all the blood surrounding him. ( for the record Sukuna didn't inherit Sanctum from doing so, too broken to have both but I will say that he undergoes growth as a curse in this fight I guess).
Sukuna continued until the entire clan had been exterminated.
The fourth great clan of the Heian era was gone.
And the irony was that the Abe Clan had feared Tsuyoshi would eventually become a threat to them, despite him never showing any real desire to rebel. By attempting to prevent that possibility, they had caused it themselves (HA!).
Of course, Sukuna wasn't finished. The Abe Clan had been responsible for organizing his assassination, but they weren't the only ones involved. He remembered everyone who had participated in the Celestial Palace massacre.
Takako Uro's assassination group (Uro obviously survived because she died via fujiwara’s framing her)
What followed was a devastating campaign against the surviving conspirators. The same factions that had once gathered thousands of fighters to kill Tsuyoshi now found themselves being hunted by his vengeful incarnation.
However, unlike the Abe Clan. The Gojo, Zenin, and Kamo clans weren't completely exterminated and they survived, but they were left in terrible condition. I mean their strongest warriors had been killed, their leadership structures were devastated, and much of their political influence had collapsed and it would take generations for them to recover.vAnd the consequences extended far beyond the clans themselves because the entire balance of power within the jujutsu world had been shattered.
For years, the great clans had maintained their influence through military strength, inherited techniques, and political alliances. Now, a single cursed spirit had demonstrated that none of those things could protect them and the Heian era was about to become something much worse for the world ENTIRELY
Before Sukuna's resurrection, the Heian era was remembered as the golden age of jujutsu sorcery (because I mean it was). After all, tere was powerful sorcerers were everywhere, cursed techniques were flourishing, and the great clans were constantly competing for dominance. But after Sukuna returned, the situation changed dramatically. His rampages spread fear throughout Japan. Entire communities were terrified of the possibility that he might appear and sorcerers who had once confidently hunted curses were now facing something they could barely comprehend.
And because cursed spirits are born from negative human emotions, all that fear, hatred, and despair had consequences. More curses began appearing and existing curses grew increasingly dangerous (some reaching special grade tiers). The sheer amount of negative emotion spreading throughout society created an environment where cursed spirits could thrive. The golden age of jujutsu gradually transformed into a period dominated by curses and widespread destruction.
This era became known as The Feast of Curses.
“The God of Curses”
Now, in canon, Sukuna is known as the King of Curses but I don't think that title would be enough for this version. Because unlike canon Sukuna, who is fundamentally a human sorcerer who later becomes a cursed object, this Sukuna is an actual vengeful cursed spirit. And not just any cursed spirit, either because he was so overwhelmingly powerful that even other special-grade curses were terrified of him.
Sukuna occasionally entertained himself by acting like a ruler among curses. He would give them orders, force them to carry out certain tasks, and sometimes establish temporary hierarchies simply because he could. But he wasn't particularly interested in maintaining some organized kingdom and he definitely didn't care about building a better society for curses. He wasn't fighting for their rights or trying to replace humanity with a new civilization. He just wanted to do whatever he pleased.
He wasn’t their god because he was some benevolent deity who protected them, but because his power was so overwhelming that resisting him was practically pointless. He had become a calamity. Something people feared in the same way they feared earthquakes, plagues, or natural disasters thus calling him “King of poisons” despite not really having much to do with it as they saw him as a bad omen. Except Sukuna was arguably worse, because unlike a natural disaster, he could choose where and when to strike and sometimes or who am I kidding, most of the time he destroyed things simply because he felt like it.
At some point, Sukuna stopped caring about whether the world learned anything from his actions. He simply wanted to enjoy himself and just keep killing and that's what he did along with his right hand Uraume who he kept around on a whim (I will expand a little on Uraume in her own section and a bit about her in the second half of the sukuna section where we discuss some of his abilities)
And that was when he encountered Kenjaku. Unlike most people who approached Sukuna, Kenjaku didn't immediately attempt to fight him or beg for his life (he quite literally approached with a smile). Instead, he offered him something interesting. That was a chance to experience another era.
Twenty cursed objects or should I say twenty fingers. They contain fragments of Sukuna's own vengeful spirit and each finger carries a portion of his cursed energy and spiritual essence, essentially preserving pieces of the God of Curses himself.
And this also changes the nature of the finger bearers. Rather than being ordinary cursed spirits that happen to be empowered by Sukuna's fingers, the finger bearers in this version are incomplete manifestations of Sukuna himself (they’re like eggs, some are still JUST fingers but some have accumulated so much CE, they manifest into miniature sukunas and you have to kill them to take it). They are pieces of his existence given form and while that doesn't necessarily mean every finger bearer possesses his full consciousness or personality, but they are fundamentally connected to him in a way that goes beyond simply absorbing his cursed energy.
But because the thought of wreaking havoc in another era sounded entertaining. And so, the God of Curses allowed his existence to be divided into twenty fingers.
His reign over the Heian era came to an end which technically saved the Heian era I guess (so thanks Kenjaku), humanity would’ve never recovered with Sukuna around.
Too much to put so I didn’t delve into Yorozu, Uraume and Sukuna’s interactions with Angel so there is more to discuss in Part 2 I suppose.
Can’t wait to say why I’m gonna love absolute Yuji and absolute Sukuna relationship…later.